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Deported for taking part in protest, says Norwegian woman
Thiruvananthapuram A Norwegian tourist on holiday in Kerala said on Friday that the authorities had ordered her to leave India for taking part in a protests against
Thiruvananthapuram A Norwegian tourist on holiday in Kerala said on Friday that the authorities had ordered her to leave India for taking part in a protests against the amended citizenship law.
Jannet Mette Johansson ,74, took to the social media on Friday, saying an officer from the Bureau of Immigration met her earlier in the day and asked her to leave the country immediately.
“A couple of hours back Bureau of Immigration showed up at my hotel again. I was told to leave the country at once, or legal action will be taken. I asked for an explanation and also something in writing. I was told I would not get anything in writing,” she wrote in her Facebook post.
Johansson added that a friend was arranging a ticket for a flight to Dubai, from where she would catch a flight back home to Sweden.
“The Norwegian lady has participated in a protest in violation of her visa condition,” news agency PTI quoted Anoop Krishnan, the Foreigners’ Regional Registration Officer at Kochi airport, as saying.
“She has been asked to leave the country as early as possible. The tourist visa on which she visited the country does not allow participation in any protests,” he added.
Johansson was questioned by the Immigration authorities on Thursday after photos and videos of her participation in the anti-CAA protest in Kochi on December 23 were widely circulated on social media.
“No riots, just people determined ... lifting up their voices, saying what has to be said,” she posted on Facebook, alongside pictures of the march, including one of her brandishing a sign.
Johansson was not available for comment as she has been advised not to interact with the media. The incident came to light after some of her friends in Lucknow and Delhi alerted the media in Kochi. Later, she also posted the story of her experience on Facebook.
A regular visitor to India since 2014, her visa was valid till March 2020.
The latest incident comes two days after a German student, Jakob Lindenthal, who was on an exchange programme and attached to the physics department of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras, was asked to leave India after he took part in an anti-CAA protest on the campus.
(With agency inputs)
